My Favourite Shade of Black
by craklyn
Summary: Ginny stumbles across young Sirius Black on an unfamiliar muggle street. Somehow the situation doesn't seem real, but she chooses to go with it. Could it be that definitions of real should be revised?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I got the title from a song from Katy Perry, and it has haunted me for months now. I finally got a decent idea for it, and I'm going for a multi-chaptered fic for a change. Ok, hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own the characters. I wish I did though. Hell, I even wish I could be one of them.

**My Favourite Shade of Black**

Ginny was walking on a street she was sure she hadn't walked on before. There were shops selling clothing and shoes, book stores, coffee shops and bakeries, delicious smelling warm air wafting from them. She stopped to look at a window of a store with a name she didn't recognize. The mannequins wore curious-looking clothes, and Ginny wasn't sure if she liked them. She was sure the street was a muggle street, and she was glad that she wore jeans and a simple leather jacket. Maybe those clothes on display were in fashion now. She should ask Hermione, she always knew better, even though Ginny often went shopping with her in the muggle London.

Shrugging her shoulders she decided to buy something from the coffee shop nearby. The aromas coming from there made her mouth water, and she couldn't say no to herself. A bell tinkled when she opened the door, and a young woman with smiling eyes greeted her. Ginny smiled to her, taking a deep breath of the sweet warm air in the shop. She chose a chocolate filled croissant and a large cup of coffee. When she sat down on a table by the window, she couldn't help but grin: hot coffee was the best thing on a cold weather.

She thanked the woman behind the counter and stepped back on the street. The air seemed chillier now that she had been inside the warm coffee shop, and she adjusted her scarf and dug her hands deep into her pockets. She wondered briefly where to go next, but decided to continue walking and see what came up. When she was peering through a window of an ancient looking book store, a male voice sounded from next to her:

"I bet you can't read those books without sneezing. They look dusty as hell."

Ginny turned to look at the man standing next to her. He was about her age, tall and ridiculously handsome. He was smiling a crooked smile, waiting for Ginny to answer.

"They sure do", Ginny admitted. She lifted an eyebrow at the handsome stranger, "Do you often chat about dust with random girls?"

The man chuckled a bit, "Nah, I just mistook you for a friend of mine at first. Then I thought, what the heck, she looks like she might want to chat about dust. And it's always nice to talk to pretty girls."

Ginny snorted at his absolute lack of shyness, "I bet it is nice."

The man turned towards her and extended a hand, "Let me introduce myself. Sirius Black."

Ginny's eyes grew wide. "Come again?"

The man grinned, "Sirius Black, at your service."

Ginny gaped at him for a while. She hadn't expected this at all. Sirius Black. Young. On a muggle street. But she couldn't deny, he did look very familiar. Then she shrugged, what the hell, it must true.

"Ginny. Ginny Weasley." She took his hand and shook it.

"Ginny, as your new friend I feel the obligation to tell you that you have some chocolate on your face."

She felt her cheeks grow hot as she quickly lifted her hand to rub her face.

Sirius smiled as he looked at her. "Nope, still there. Let me." He brushed his thumb against her lower lip, and Ginny didn't know where to look. She wished that the ground would swallow her. But it didn't. Instead she had to stammer her thanks to the too-handsome-for-his-own-good man who was looking at her, clearly amused.

"I know this may be a bit early in our new friendship, but can I offer you a drink?" Sirius was clearly good with women. His confidence was almost annoying, but also very sexy. Ginny found herself agreeing to his offer. Why not, it was Sirius after all. And she was curious.

Sirius led her into a small bar, and bought her a drink with raspberries and mint in it. It tasted nice, and Ginny thought that she should probably try out muggle drinks more often.

She looked around the bar, which was almost empty. She turned back to Sirius and said, "So you live in a muggle neighbourhood?" Sirius's eyes grew wide. "You're a witch? Wow, I had no idea. Wait, how did you know I'm not a muggle?"

Ginny contemplated her answer for a moment. "I guess I just knew."

Sirius's surprised expression melted into an easy smile, "Well, I guess I was lucky when I decided to talk to you."

"I guess you were." Ginny couldn't help but smiling as well.

* * *

><p>Ginny and Sirius spent hours talking. When she decided she should go home, they walked back to the street and Sirius nodded to the direction of the book store, "I live there, just a short walk away."<p>

"I'm going to the other direction, then." Ginny nodded. "But it was really nice to meet you, Sirius."

"You too, Ginny." Sirius smiled in a way that warmed the pit of her stomach. "Listen, can I owl you later?"

Ginny wasn't sure how he did it, but she felt awfully giddy when he said that. "Sure." She grinned.

"Good, I'll do that." Sirius leaned down to brush his lips against her cheek, making her blush. "See you around, yeah?"

"See you." Ginny waved, as she turned to walk away, resisting a sudden urge to jump like a school girl.

* * *

><p>Ginny woke up, tangled in her sheets, her toes poking out from under the blanket. After adjusting to her surroundings, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. It had been only a dream. With a sigh she climbed out of bed and made her way down to the Burrow kitchen.<p>

"Morning", she muttered, and plopped down next to Hermione, who was also spending the weekend at the Burrow with Ron.

"Morning. Where were you last night?" Hermione looked at the sleep-tousled girl next to her.

"Huh, sleeping?" Ginny had no clue what the other girl was talking about.

"You weren't in the room when I woke up in the middle of the night. Your door was open."

"Oh? How's that possible.." Ginny didn't remember waking up during the night.

"Maybe you were sleep walking."

"Hmm, could be." Ginny nodded. "Mum did tell me I used to sleep walk as a kid. One time I went missing for hours. I wasn't in my bed when mum checked up on me, and they got really worried. I guess I had climbed back in my bed, though, because I don't remember going anywhere, and that's where they found me after searching the whole house."

Hermione laughed, "Well, I guess that's quite common for kids. Maybe you just went for a night walk again."

Ginny smiled, stirring her cup of coffee. "Yeah, that must be it. But I had an awesome dream while walking, wanna hear?"

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><p>Quite a dream. Or was it?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two!

Thanks for the reviews, I hope this chapter will give you some clue about what might be going on! ;)

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><p>Ginny found that concentrating on her normal life was a bit difficult. She kept thinking about Sirius. The way his eyes had twinkled when he laughed, and how he had run his hand through his hair every now and then. It had been just a tad too long, and yet not long enough to tie it back. She wondered if Sirius had really been like that. Glancing at her clock she realized it was already a quarter past five – and a quarter past closing time. She quickly closed the book store she had agreed to look after for a couple of days, and apparated to Harry's place.<p>

"Ginny! I didn't expect you." Harry opened the door and motioned for her to come in.

"Sorry to come unannounced, but there's something I couldn't get out of my mind, and I though you might be able to help." Ginny explained quickly.

"Ok, no problem. What's up?"

"Do you have pictures of Sirius when he was young?" Ginny looked at the surprised looking Harry hopefully.

"Oh, sure I do." Harry answered, "I got loads of pictures of my parents and I think Sirius is in many of them. I'll go fetch them."

Ginny took off her jacket and went to sit in the kitchen. It looked like Harry was going to cook that night: there were multiple cook-books on the table, all open and covered in scribblings that Ginny recognized as his. She grinned, Harry was probably having someone over that night.

"Do you have a hot date tonight?" She asked when Harry returned with a photo album.

"Maybe. Yes. Definitely." Harry blushed at her question.

"I hope I didn't interrupt your preparations?"

"Nah," Harry shook his head. "I've got hours to go before she comes, I was just thinking about recipes and such."

"And who might this _she_ be?" Ginny smiled.

"Luna." Harry blushed a bit more.

"That's awesome, I love that girl! Make sure to woo her good." Ginny grinned at the flustered but happy-looking man.

"I'll try." Harry smiled back at her. "But anyway, why the sudden interest in Sirius?"

"Right", Ginny cleared her throat. "Well, I had this dream about him, or a young him to be exact, and I just got curious, I guess."

"Hmm" Harry nodded as he flipped through the album. "Here's a picture where he and dad are around 17. How's that?"

Ginny peered at the picture of two smiling and waving guys, wearing their Hogwarts uniforms. "Wow, he looks quite similar to the one I saw a couple of nights ago. Do you have anything where he'd be twenty-something?"

"Well, there's the one from the wedding." Harry opened another page.

Ginny realized Harry had showed her the picture before. But this time, instead of thinking about how happy Lily and James looked, her eyes went straight to Sirius. That was the exact same Sirius who she had spend hours in her dream with. His hair was perhaps a bit shorter, but there was no question of the similarity.

"Wow.." Ginny said slowly, "I had no clue dreams could be that accurate."

Harry looked at her and shrugged, "I guess they can be a form of magic as well."

"Yeah. Maybe."

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><p>Ginny lay on her bed, looking at a picture that she had gotten from Harry. The picture was taken on Christmas Day in Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Remus stood on Harry's side, both clearly joking about something and sniggering, while Harry looked slightly embarrassed but smiled anyway. Sirius looked much older than she remembered him looking. But the smile on his face looked really nice, and Ginny thought about how happy he must have been, not having to sit alone in the house.<p>

Ginny sighed. It was unfair how much he had had to go through in his life. She wished he could have had a happier life. She wished to be able to see him again. Sighing once more she put the picture down on her bedside table, and switched the light off.

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><p>Ginny entered Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, when she spotted a familiar looking man at the counter. After her initial surprise, she walked towards him.<p>

"Look who we have here." She grinned, causing the man to turn around and almost drop his bag of coins.

"Ginny! I didn't expect to see you here." Sirius arranged a dashing smile on his face. "Can't complain, though, I was thinking that you may have been a figment of my imagination."

Ginny couldn't help but giggle a bit at his notion, "That's not that far from my thoughts, actually."

They ordered their sinfully big and delicious-looking sundaes and sat down at a table at the back of the parlour.

"You know, it's not that common to eat ice-cream when it's that cold outside." Ginny said, while trying to decide which flavour to taste first.

"Yeah, but I reckon that the less people are appreciating it, the better it'll taste. And besides, more for me." Sirius told in between his spoonfuls.

After Sirius had offered his help Ginny with finishing her sundae, a task which Ginny respectfully saw through, but not fast enough according to Sirius, they decided to browse the Diagon Alley a bit.

"You wanna stop by at Gambol and Japes?" Sirius pointed at a store with a colourful display in the window.

"Sure, why not." Ginny shrugged, "Although I usually go to WWW."

"Hmm, what's that?" Sirius asked.

Ginny nearly cracked her neck as she turned to look at him. "Huh, you don't know?"

Sirius shook his head, looking puzzled.

Ginny turned to look at the Diagon Alley. If Sirius didn't know Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, something was wrong. But everything looked normal. Except for the Eeylops Owl Emporium's brand new signboard. And Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlour had had a new decoration. Ollivander's looked like it had been recently cleaned. But as they walked ahead, WWW wasn't where it was supposed to be. There was only a shabby-looking broom supply shop.

Then it struck her. This was twenty years in the past. _She_ was twenty years in the past.

"Oh", she breathed, willing to keep herself calm. "Umm, sorry" she laughed nervously, "I was thinking about something else. It's a muggle shop."

Sirius gave her a funny look, "You think about muggle shops in the Diagon Alley? I thought muggles' jokes aren't that great."

"I think I may have had too much ice cream. Froze my brain over, or something." She mumbled.

Sirius gave a hearty laugh, "That must be it! You know, once when I ate a whole..."

Ginny tuned out for a bit, while he continued to tell a story about a brain freeze of the history, and focused on the situation at hand. She was in the past. How did this happen? She didn't own a time-turner. In fact she was pretty sure there were not many left after the incident at the Department of Mysteries, which in turn directed her thoughts to the moment when Sirius had fallen through the veil.

She turned to look at the young man next to her, who was talking and making wild hand-gestures, and causing the passers-by to throw weird looks at them. He was there now and he was very real. Ginny felt a sudden urge to pinch him, just to make sure he was real. Instead she grabbed his waving hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Sirius stopped talking, looking at the girl next to him. Ginny didn't notice the absence of his voice, or the surprised look on his face. She noticed only how warm and nice his hand felt. Very real.

Then the reasonable solution came to her. "Is this a dream?" She turned to look at Sirius.

"Well", Sirius gave her hand a soft squeeze and grinned, "If it is, I can promise you that I'll try my best to make it a very pleasant one."

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><p>So, there you go. Pleasant dreams, anyone?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yay, chapter three, olkaapa hyvät.

And I got regular readers and reviewers! I'm super happy and excited! A big thank you and cookies to everyone who reviewed. It makes me want to finish the chapters faster. ^^

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><p>Sirius took Ginny to his apartment. It was a small flat in a muggle building, not messy, but not really clean either. It looked like a boy lived in there. Ginny smiled to herself when she saw the television in the corner. Apparently Sirius had picked up some habits from the muggles he lived among.<p>

"Do you want something to drink?" Sirius asked her, walking towards his kitchen.

"Could I have some tea?" Ginny called after him.

"Really?" Sirius emerged back to the door frame, "Not beer or wine?"

"Well, I did just freeze my brain with the sundae." Ginny said, as she unwrapped her scarf and took her jacket off.

"Right. Tea it is then!" Sirius gave her one of his slightly crooked smiles before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Ginny walked to his bookshelf. There were a couple of old school books, two muggle novels, a pile of wizarding magazines, something that looked like a battered piggy bank, and in the middle of it all, a picture of the Marauders. James was in the middle, looking almost exactly like Harry. He had his arms slung around Remus and Sirius, who both smiled and waved at the camera, pausing only to laugh at something that James was telling. Peter was sitting on the ground, eating an apple, pausing every once in a while to giggle with the others. Ginny smiled sadly. Peter looked so innocent. Almost like a small child compared to the other three. It was unbelievable how things had turned out. How things _would_ turn out.

"So you found my friends?" Sirius interrupted her thoughts, coming from the kitchen carrying two steaming mugs.

"Thanks," Ginny placed the picture frame back on the shelf and took one mug. "You look really happy in that picture. Was it taken in Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, our last year." Sirius nodded. "Did you go to Hogwarts? I don't remember seeing you there, though."

"I did, actually." Ginny said without thinking. _Only__twenty__years__after__you__guys_ would sound a bit weird. She wasn't sure how to continue, so she just sat on the couch, concentrating on her tea.

Luckily for her Sirius didn't press the subject, but started talking about his friends: "Do you know James and Lily?"

Ginny nodded, and he continued "Yeah, well the first time I saw you I thought you were Lily at first. Red hair and all."

"Really?" Ginny mumbled, stirring her tea.

"Yeah." Sirius said. "I was wondering what she was doing there without James and Harry. Although she does love books, so.."

"Harry?" Ginny interrupted him.

"Uhhuh, they have a son. Harry. I'm the godfather." Sirius smiled, looking proud.

"Wow." Was all that Ginny managed to say.

"Right! I thought so too when they told me Lily was pregnant. But it's awesome! Harry's gonna be a great prankster, just like us, we're gonna make sure of that." Sirius laughed. "Although it's a bit embarrassing, all the baby-talk happening around Harry. We're men for Merlin's sake..."

Ginny couldn't help but giggle. Sirius's eyes were twinkling and he looked really happy when he continued telling a story about the broom he'd given Harry for his first birthday. But that made her think about herself. If Harry had just turned one, it meant that she was also born. There were two of her.

"Sirius?" She said quietly, when he finished telling about Harry's first party.

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her, eyes still smiling.

"I know Harry. He's my friend." Ginny managed to say. The look on Sirius's face went from surprised to worried. "Ginny? What's going on?"

"I know this is going to sound weird. I mean really weird. But I think this is a sort of dream, so I'm gonna go along and say it." She looked at Sirius, who nodded. "I'm from the future."

"Ok.." Sirius said slowly. "You're kidding me, right? Because this is getting really weird."

Ginny gave a dry laugh, placing her mug down on the coffee table next to the couch. "I told it would be. But no, I'm not kidding you."

"How's that possible?" Sirius looked very solemn, although a ghost the smile still lingered on his face.

"I really don't know. But this is the second time this happens. Dreaming about you, being in the past."

"Well", Sirius started. "Magic is a weird thing. But I'm not sure I'm comfortable with being just a dream." The smile crept back on his face. "I'm very real, you know."

Ginny just looked at Sirius. She wasn't sure what she had expected, telling him this, but he being so easy and unaffected about it was not it.

"I noticed that you didn't want to talk about Hogwarts, but I would've never guessed that the reason was something like this." Sirius huffed.

"But you don't seem that freaked out, though." Ginny pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly the worst thing I've come across in my life." Sirius leaned back on the couch. "My family's as black as it's name, so I've been weirded out a couple of times before."

"I bet you have." Ginny turned to face Sirius, leaning her cheek on the back of the couch.

He turned to look at her. "Do you know me in the future?"

"Yeah, I've met you." Ginny said, "But I don't think I should tell you too much about my time." She shook her head, "I'm still convinced that this is a dream, but even so, I don't want to mess anything up because I let something slip."

Sirius leaned towards her, "Didn't I already tell you that I consider myself utterly and undeniably real?"

Ginny breathed in. He was very close and she could smell the cologne he wore. This was Sirius. The man who had disappeared from her life years ago. And he was here now. And he was her age. Not to mention very handsome. She couldn't take her eyes away from his, although she had a distant feeling that she should. She lifted her hand to brush a strand of hair away from his eyes, and her fingers continued their path along his jaw.

"You feel real." She whispered.

His eyes darkened as he leaned towards her, "You do too." he said, lips almost touching hers, before closing the distance.

The kiss was soft and tentative at first, but soon Ginny's hands found their way to his neck and hair. Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist pulled her closer, causing Ginny to move to straddle him. Their breathing came in short puffs, as their kisses turned more heated. His hands had found their way under her shirt, when Ginny broke the kiss and leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

"You wanna stay for the night?" Sirius asked, running his hand through Ginny's hair.

"Yeah." She mumbled against his chest.

Sirius rose from the couch, still holding her. Ginny wrapped her legs around his waist, as he carried her to the bedroom. He placed her on his bed and lay on top of her, supporting his weight with his elbows. He studied her face, lifting his thumb to trace the outline of her lower lip.

Ginny wasn't sure how to react to this new Sirius, who was surprisingly gentle but tempting and passionate at the same time. Her heart was beating at a pleasantly fast rate, and she was feeling slightly light-headed. He looked tousled, his lips were red and his blue eyes were darker than ever before. A smile fought its way onto her face. This felt easy and real.

Ginny lifted her head to meet Sirius's lips. Tentative at first, but then she bit his lip, and soon they were fighting for dominance. Ginny peeled his shirt off, stopping to run her hands across his toned chest. She felt like purring. Instead she pushed Sirius onto his back, grinning at the reaction she got when she tossed her own shirt to the floor.

She leaned down to press kisses along his jawline, "Let's make this worth dreaming, yeah?"

Sirius let out a low approving growl and flipped them around once more. "Oh, there won't be no dreaming tonight."

* * *

><p>Ginny woke up with her back pressed against a warm chest. The owner was breathing puffs of warm air on her shoulder. She was happy but confused at the same time. She hadn't woken up from the dream, and was still here instead. She found she didn't mind the idea at all.<p>

Ginny started to draw circles onto the arm Sirius had wrapped across her waist, causing him to stir and pull her closer to him.

"Hey you." He murmured, "Did I get you convinced?"

"I think so", Ginny smiled, "And it turns out I kinda like this weird situation."

"Good, I like it too." Sirius pressed a kiss on her shoulder.

Ginny turned around to face him. "I have no idea what's going on, though."

Sirius looked at her, his expression still soft and sleepy. "We're going to figure it out."

"We are?"

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>So are they able to hold on to what they've started?<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Wow, this chapter took a long time to write. Sorry for the long wait! I know how the story goes, but it's surprisingly difficult to actually write it. But don't worry, I'm gonna do it.

Anyway, here's chapter four, I hope you'll enjoy! :3

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><p>Ginny was waiting for the water to boil, when Sirius came back from the bakery. He placed sweet smelling paper bag on the counter and wrapped his cold arms around Ginny, causing her to giggle and squirm. "You look good in my shirt."<p>

The shirt she wore almost reached her knees and smelled of Sirius. Ginny turned around to unbutton Sirius's jacket. "What did you buy?"

Sirius placed a small kiss on her lips, "Bread rolls and muffins."

"Good taste you've got there."

"So I've noticed." He smirked before taking his jacket off and walking out of the kitchen.

Ginny smiled as she poured the boiling water into two mismatched mugs. She liked Sirius's place, especially the kitchen where no cup had a saucer to match it and there weren't two glasses that looked the same. And the owner of the place wasn't that bad either. Not at all.

It was the third morning in the past. She always fell asleep snuggled against Sirius, afraid that she might not wake up there. But she always had. It was bizarre being in the past with him, but Ginny gladly spent all the time she had there. They rummaged the Muggle town Sirius lived in, went to movies, cooked at his place and just lived in their own little world where nothing else seemed to exist.

"Hey, I've been thinking." Sirius interrupted her thoughts, "Would you like to meet my friends?"

Ginny's eyes snapped to his, "You mean James and um.. Harry and.." Her voice faded away.

"Yeah." He smiled, "The Potters and Remus and Peter. You'll love them for sure."

Ginny took a sip of her tea, thinking about the marauders. There would be Harry. Baby Harry. The thought seemed unbelievable, she was not supposed to meet him until he was already friends with Ron. The time line was all messed up. She wasn't supposed to be here. But she was. Ginny looked at Sirius, who had propped his elbow on the table and leaning his cheek against his hand, watching as she reasoned with herself, smiling knowingly. "You know you want to."

"Yeah," Ginny breathed out, "I really do."

* * *

><p>Ginny realized she had forgotten to breath. The little boy on her lap was looking up at her with green eyes that were so familiar. The moment Ginny had arrived at the Potters' house, baby Harry had walked to her with small wobbly baby steps and held his arms up, silently demanding for Ginny to pick him up.<p>

Ginny sneaked a glance at Sirius, who was sitting at the table, talking with James, while Lily was bustling in the kitchen. Although he was nodding and smiling at the story James was telling him, he kept his eyes on Ginny. She grinned and returned her concentration on Harry, who was tugging at her hair.

Lily and James looked almost exactly the way she remembered them from the wedding picture. Ginny thought it was nice to hear their voices, too. It made them much more real.

James's voice was surprisingly deep, and he kept clearing his throat much in the same way Harry would.

Lily's voice was light and soothing, and her laughter was amazing: it sounded like it came from somewhere deep within, straight from her heart almost, and it was loud and bubbly. Ginny loved it. She smiled at how James told random jokes and looked expectantly at Lily every now and then. He probably just wanted to hear her laugh over and over again.

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><p>Ginny hold Sirius's hand as they walked back towards his flat. Her head was spinning. She had met Harry's parents. People who didn't exist in the future. And they were so real and lovable. And there was baby Harry, the little boy who seemed to have fallen in love with his godfather's new girlfriend.<p>

"Sirius?" Her voice sounded tiny even in her own ears.

"Yeah?" He turned his head to look at the girl walking next to him.

"What am I? I mean, to you?" She looked up at him.

"Well", Sirius gave her hand a small squeeze, "I'd like to go about bragging about my smoking hot girlfriend. Would that be a agreeable definition?"

"Umm.." She was a bit taken aback but couldn't help the huge grin that fought its way onto her face. "Yes, I think it would."

"Good, I wouldn't take no for an answer." Sirius returned her grin before stopping, pulling Ginny towards him and giving her a soft kiss. "You see", he placed another kiss on her lips, "I think I like you a lot." He paused. "Hell, I may even love you."

Ginny drew back, looking closely at him. His eyes were dark and serious, and his brow was furrowed. She breathed in slowly. "I may even love you, too."

His features softened and he let out a shaky laugh, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow." Ginny chuckled, and took his hand again, and they walked to his apartment, the smiles never leaving their faces.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter up! Twists and turns and stuff. This story keeps surprising me too, every now and then.

Here you go, I hope you like it! :)

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><p>Ginny woke up to a light tapping sound.<p>

"Could you get that?" She mumbled, as she realized the sound was made by the owl that brought the Daily Prophet every morning.

The tapping continued.

"Sirius?" Ginny opened her eyes.

She was in her own bed. In her own time. Alone.

Her stomach felt suddenly heavy and her eyes began stinging. She climbed up from her bed, opened the window and watched the owl fly away, clutching the paper in her hand.

Ginny felt betrayed. She threw the paper to the ground and silent tears escaped her eyes. It was only a dream after all, her own mind that played tricks on her. She sat down on the ground, all strength abandoning her body.

Ginny felt almost emotionless as she sat on the ground, thinking about her last few days. The days that had after all been only a figment of her own traitorous imagination. It wasn't until her limbs were numb from cold, when she gave up and forced herself up, and drew a warm bath.

While drying her hair, Ginny looked at her reflection noticing a faint mark on her neck. The corners of her mouth curved into a small sneer. If she didn't know better, it could have been a love bite. She leaned on the sink and let out a sigh, refusing to look back at the mirror.

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><p>This was the first time Ginny was glad she didn't get the job she had applied for a few weeks earlier. She had a feeling the Ministry wouldn't have approved her tactics for dealing with the situation.<p>

She refused to leave her apartment. It was as if seeing someone from her own time would have been the final, unwanted proof that Sirius didn't love her. And never had. Instead, she turned off her floo, and sat on her sofa, covered in numerous blankets, watching every single Muggle film she owned.

Her plan worked well until she ran out of films to watch. Sighing, she surfaced from her mountain of blankets, walked to her fireplace, and taking a fistful of Floo Powder, she stepped into the green flames.

"To the Burrow."

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><p>The living room was empty. Ginny walked into the kitchen where she found her dad reading the paper and drinking tea.<p>

"Ginny, where have you been?" Arthur raised his eyes from the news and looked at his daughter with wide eyes.

"Um.. Home." Ginny picked up a cup and poured herself some tea before sitting down.

"Your mum has been worried about you, you know." Arthur continued, "And me too. We weren't able to contact you for over a week. Even Pidwigeon couldn't deliver our letter." His voice was calm but his expression was both angry and relieved at the same time.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize it was that long.", Ginny mumbled at her cup. "I didn't hear Pig tapping or anything."

"Ginny", her father said softly, "What's going on?"

She looked up at her father, who had set the newspaper down and was looking at her. "I don't know." Ginny sighed. "I've been having these strange dreams recently, and they've felt so real. I really thought all those things happened. I was so confused but so happy, and then I just woke up. End of story. I don't know dad, I guess I'm disappointed with the reality. Or myself. Or something. So I hid. Under my blanket.." Her tirade died away as she realized how childish everything had sounded.

"Oh, again?" Arthur sounded almost amused.

"What?" Ginny's head snapped up.

"You don't remember?" Arthur let out a small chuckle. "When you were little, you sometimes told us about these dreams you had, where you met new people and were in places where you couldn't understand anything what the other people said, or that you had been on a sunny beach, making sand castles all day. Molly grumbled about all the sand you had smuggled in your room... But those times too, you were always so disappointed that it had been only a dream."

"Oh." Ginny bit her lip, "How come I don't remember at all.."

"Well, it was a long time ago. And you used to sleep walk too, a lot. Every now and then you'd announce 'This time I'm gonna go and try to speak that weird language' or 'Tonight I feel like swimming', things like that. Sometimes you woke up in different clothes you went to sleep in. Or like that time when you told us about that dream at the beach, there was so much sand in your bed and in your room, it was incredible.

"I never said anything to your mum, but I could have sworn you were a bit tanned that morning." Arthur lowered his voice, a slight smile on his face.

"Really?" Ginny couldn't believe her ears. "So I was just sleep walking and dreaming", she hesitated for a moment. "Or do you reckon I could've been there for real? I mean, making the sand castles and all.."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Who knows. I've heard of things that are much harder to believe than real dreams." He stood from the table and went to pour himself another cup of tea. "I think dreams are their very own kind of magic, after all."

"That's what Harry said."

"Did he?" Arthur smiled. "Clever boy, that one."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Finally - Chapter up! Sorry for it taking so long.

And a special thanks to my loyal reviewers, your reviews always make my day! :)

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><p>Ginny spent the rest of the day home with her parents. She was feeling much better, but the sadness returned as she came back to her own place in the evening. Slowly she started to arrange the films back to the bookshelf, and took the empty plates and mugs to the kitchen.<p>

When she finally lay on her bed, she felt exhausted. She listened to herself breathing and the clock ticking, but couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Sirius. All the sweet things he had said, all the funny things. But she wished he'd never said he loved her. But dreams happen fast. Everything is less complicated when you're in another reality. Or when it isn't real at all.

Ginny flipped her pillow over. She was now glad she hadn't met Remus or Peter in the dreams. Especially Peter. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see a nicer side of the traitor, even an imagined one.

Her thoughts went back to the ticking of the clock. Time seemed unaffected by her thoughts. It went past without her realizing it. She huffed when she remembered that she's spend over a week hiding in the mountain of blankets.

After tossing and turning, Ginny gave up the attempt of catching any sleep, and sat up, wrapping the blanket around her. She walked to her window and climbed up on the windowsill. It was almost full moon. The light made the scenery silver. It looked eerie and she was glad there was a window between her and the nearly colourless houses and trees and the blurry shadows they cast.

Shivering, Ginny decided hot tea was a better idea than sitting there. Watching the night was not as soothing as she had hoped, and she pulled the curtains shut. As she turned, she noticed the grumbled newspaper on the floor. Ginny picked it up, and walked to the kitchen.

Nursing a mug in between her hands, still wrapped in her blanket, Ginny looked at the paper lying on the table. Gingerly she reached out and unfolded it. Nothing out of ordinary. It had been a paper full of news that she didn't care to read about, that had brought her back to reality.

She took a sip. Maybe it had been a blessing in disguise. A wake up call. Literally. Time to start living her own life.

Sighing she started to folding the paper, but paused. The date of the paper was from three days ago. Her father had said that they hadn't been able to contact her for over a week. She rushed to get her calendar. The day she had seen Harry, was last Tuesday, but according to her calendar, last Tuesday had been yesterday.

"This can't be right.." Ginny mumbled as she flipped through the pages trying to find an explanation for the seemingly wrong dates.

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><p>Ginny woke up her cheek sticking to the pages of her calendar. Her blanket had slipped from her shoulders and she felt cold and stiff. Tired of thinking and trying to find explanations for things that didn't exist, she slammed the small book shut and decided to get on with her life.<p>

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><p>Two weeks later Ginny stepped into the Leaky Cauldron. She had a job interview at St. Mungo's in an hour. She didn't have training in healing, but her potion-making skills should be enough to get her started.<p>

With some time to spend, and her stomach grumbling meaningfully, she ordered a chicken salad sandwich. The looming interview had butterflies flying around in her stomach, and she hoped it would go smoothly.

When Tom brought her sandwich and ice tea, Ginny felt a sudden need to get some fresh air. She willed herself to calm down and took a sip of her tea. It was just an interview, no big deal. The sandwich looked delicious, but when she tried to take a bite, the smell was overwhelming. With no other option Ginny quickly ran into the ladies' room and promptly threw up.

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><p>The interview went surprisingly well. The mediwitch conducting it had been really nice and made Ginny feel comfortable. Afterwards Ginny went to see Hermione, they had made plans to spend the evening at her place.<p>

"Ginny, come on in, you look great!" Hermione smiled as she opened the door.

"Thanks, I don't feel so great though." Ginny grumbled, as she took of her jacket. "I hurled just before the interview and the option of eating still doesn't sound very appealing."

"Oh, the interview, how did it go? And what's wrong, are you just nervous or is it stomach flu? I can get you a potion for that if you want to." Hermione switched straight into the mother-mode she had picked up from spending too much time with Molly.

Ginny let out a small laugh, "It's ok, don't worry, the interview went great and a glass of water will do, I think."

"Good. Sit down, I'll bring the potion too, just in case."

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><p>The next morning found Ginny sitting on the bathroom floor, head in the toilet. Now she had to admit herself that it was not just nervousness talking, it had to be the flu. Feeling queasy Ginny wondered what would soothe her stomach. Something soft and easy to eat. Like porridge.<p>

"Yeah, with berries. And pickles.." she mumbled to herself as the walked towards her kitchen. "Wait, pickles?" She stopped in her tracks, but shrugged, "Why not, it sounds good."

After a huge bowl of porridge, with berries and pickles, which was so delicious Ginny was sure she was crazy for not trying it out earlier, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the pickle jar in front of her. Who knew? Maybe unlikely combinations were the best ones. Like yoghurt and sausages. Or chocolate and ham...

Then a terrifying thought came into her mind. Quickly she grabbed her wand and cast a spell. And there it was, a gold glow on her belly. She was pregnant.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here you go, the last chapter. I hope this answers to all the questions you may have had about the weird situation I threw Ginny in.

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><p>This was not possible. No way. She hadn't been with anyone for months.<p>

Unless it was Sirius.

Ginny sat there, staring at the pickle jar she was sure was now sneering at her. Impossible. That would mean she had actually been in the past. With Sirius Black. If that was true, could she get back? If that was true, she had messed with the timeline and the world she lived in was pretty much impossible.

"Whoever invented magic... Fucked up sense of humour." Ginny muttered, as she rose from the table and walked to her fireplace.

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><p>"Dad, you remember when I told you about these dreams that seemed so real, right?" Ginny was nervous about saying anything about her revelation.<p>

"Yes." Arthur nodded, "Magic dreams."

"It was real. Everything was real. I'm slipping in the past."

Her dad looked at her, surprised. For a while he didn't say anything. Then he let out a sigh. "Somehow I already knew. Ever since you were a kid. It was always real, no matter how hard we insisted you'd just been dreaming or sleep walking. It's your own special kind of magic."

"Do you reckon it's possible for me to decide to go back," Ginny took a shaky breath, "And stay there?"

Her father looked at her, a sad smile on his face. "Do you think you'll be up for it, altering the future?"

"Dad, I already have." Ginny wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him about the other revelation she had had in the morning. Hell, she wasn't sure she believed it herself.

Arthur had a curious look on his face, but he didn't press the subject. "Then I think you have no other option."

"But how can I know that I don't keep slipping back and forth?"

"It's up to you, Ginny. It always has been. You just have to make a decision of your own future and where you're going to spend it."

Ginny looked at her father and realized he was right. She would have to take control of her magic. Make a decision. For good. Her eyes began stinging. "But that means I have to leave you all."

Arthur let out a chuckle. "Perhaps not forever darling. I think you'll find a way to be a part of our lives, in your own version of future."

"Sirius was a part of our lives." Ginny said, more to herself than to her father.

"Sirius? So we'll be seeing him with company in another reality." Arthur's eyes twinkled, not unlike Dumbledore's once had.

Ginny felt her cheeks grow hot. "I hope so." She hesitated for a moment. "So I can really change the future?"

Arthur walked to Ginny and hugged her tight. "Yes, I think you can. And I dare say you should."

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><p>That night Ginny was nervous to go to sleep. She had spend the day worrying about every single thing she was sure would be affected if her dreams were real. She would disappear. Her life as it was would disappear. Or would it? The idea of time didn't make sense to her. Would everything here disappear?<p>

What if she was wrong and this was yet another trick her mind was playing? Ginny's head throbbed as she walked around in her apartment, making sure everything was in its place. She felt like she had to prepare for a long trip and was tempted to pack a suitcase. She would be leaving after all. Probably.

Hours later, as she lay awake in her bed, she willed herself to calm down. She would fall asleep, go to Sirius. She would stay with Sirius. Alter the history. Exist together with herself. Miss her parents. What had she gotten herself into?

Ginny's pillow was damp from tears, but she was too tired to care.

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><p>Ginny was walking on a familiar street. The wind was a tad too cold and it made her shiver. She was glad she had her leather jacket. She paused to look at a shop window that displayed curious looking clothes. This had to be a muggle street. She continued her journey along the pavement and wondered why it felt like she knew where she was going. She noticed a coffee shop and decided it wasn't such a bad idea to get some coffee and maybe something sweet with it. Perhaps a chocolate croissant. Yeah, those were probably the best thing muggles had come up with.<p>

Ginny froze as her fingers grazed the coffee shop's door handle. She was on the very same street where she had met Sirius. She drew her hand back. Her heart felt like it was about to explode. Slowly she turned and started walking. She didn't have to think about directions, her legs felt like they were on autopilot. Ginny concentrated on breathing. That shouldn't have been too difficult. She watched as her breath rose in puffs of steam that vanished slowly, mixing with the chilly air surrounding her.

When Ginny reached Sirius's house, she got nervous. What would she say? Had she missed her? Would he be angry because she had disappeared without a warning? How much time had passed since the last time she was here?

Ginny opened the door and climbed two sets of stairs. As she stood in front of his door and knocked, her hand was shaking. Instead of three sharp knocks, she managed four and a half quiet ones. There was no answer and she hesitated for a while. Then slowly she turned the handle, opened the door and stepped cautiously in to the apartment. There was no one there. The door closed behind her with a click, making her feel even more anxious than she already was, alone in his apartment.

Then she heard something clatter.

Ginny rushed to the kitchen door to see Sirius sitting on a chair, leaning his head against his hands. A bottle of firewhiskey lay on the table, cork unscrewed, dripping its contents on the table, where it formed a golden stream, finally falling to the floor in a steady flow.

"Sirius." Ginny whispered.

His head shot up, and for a while they looked at each other in a heavy silence.

"Sirius, what's going on?" She didn't dare to move.

His hands curled into fists, as he turned his gaze back down. "They are dead. Harry was taken away. Wormtail ratted them out."

Ginny couldn't breath. She hadn't expected this. In all her frantic musings she hadn't thought about poor Harry. Hot tears began streaming down her cheeks as she watched the devastated man who was sitting in front of her. She wanted to comfort him, tell him everything would be ok, that this was just a bad dream. But it wasn't. Not anymore.

Suddenly Sirius hit his fists against the table and sprang to his feet.

"I'm gonna kill that bloody traitor!"

Ginny flinched. She was intimidated by the angry man, but afraid of what would happen if she didn't stop him.

"You can't go, he'll set you up and escape and you're going to Azkaban." The words tumbled out of Ginny's lips. Her voice was quiet, but she knew he had heard her.

"I won't let that happen." Sirius refused to look at her.

"Sirius, listen to me, I know, I'm from the future. It has happened before!"

He halted and looked at her, his eyes narrowed.

"But you can't change the future."

"I already have." A single tear run down her cheek. "Sirius, I'm pregnant."

They stared at each other, neither saying a word. Then Sirius jumped up, knocking over his chair, rushed to Ginny, and threw his arms around her, as if fearing she'd slip away as soon as he let go.

"You left me. Then James left me, and Lily too. Everyone I love..." His voice died away.

"I'm not leaving you. Ever again." All Ginny could do was hold him, hoping everything would get better. Eventually.

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><p>Ginny gave a heavy sigh, as she stroked the turquoise hair of the little boy sleeping on her lap. Today was the day she had gone to the past. The circle had closed. Her life had been bitter sweet, existing together with her old self, who didn't recognize her. To the Weasleys she had always been Aunt Ginny, the distant relative who was always around. Molly and Arthur had been the only people who knew Ginny's real identity, but had kept it a secret. Ginny was happy she could be a part of lives of the people she loved.<p>

It had been bizarre to watch Harry, Ron, Hermione and herself grow up together with her daughter. May was a year younger than her old self, the spitting image of young Ginny; the only things telling them apart were the black hair and blue eyes she had inherited from her father. She had grown up to be a true heir of a Marauder, making both her father and Fred and George very proud of her.

Ginny had changed the past in many ways she hadn't dared dreaming of. Sirius was alive and he had a daughter. She had stayed in the past, living it as if she belonged there. She felt like she did. Like it all was supposed to happen. But staying in the past had been a difficult journey. She had had to relive her own past. She had had to relive the battle of Hogwarts. It had been devastating to find out she couldn't save Fred. She couldn't save Remus and Tonks. Couldn't save the people she loved. No matter how hard she had tried. The history had refused to be rewritten.

Ginny brushed her palm against her cheek, wiping the stubborn tears that threatened to fall on her lap. She looked at the boy sleeping there. His mouth was slightly ajar and his eyes shut. The book he had brought Ginny lay forgotten in his lap. She lifted him up and carried him to his bed, and placed a wolf plush toy under his arm before whispering good night to her godson.

Then she tiptoed to her bedroom and snuck under the covers. She listened to Sirius's steady breathing, and ran her hand softly against his hair and stubbly cheek. His hair was black as ever, but she could see streaks of grey in it. She smiled as she closed her eyes. It was her favourite shade of Black.


End file.
